Shield
by aussieNCIS
Summary: Tony is shot and Ziva is left to think about her feelings. Even without Tony the team works to find his shooter and uncovers the truth with a twist that no one suspected. TIVA. Finally Finished.
1. Chapter 1

I do not own any of the characters in this story.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bang. Tony saw it happen, almost as if in slow motion. He saw a bright flash from the corner of his eye. He heard the window smash as he rolled on top of Ziva. He saw the horror in her eyes and felt her arms wrap around him as he kissed her. He felt the sharp sting and the excrutiating pain as the bullet hit him in the back of his shoulder. He heard Ziva scream as she rolled him onto his side, covered in his blood. The last thing he saw were Ziva's brown eyes filled with fear.

Everything happened so quickly. Ziva grabbed Tony's discarded shirt from the floor and wrapped it tightly around his right bicep. She placed one of her hands on his face and the other on his neck, searching for a pulse. Her hands shook violently as she pressed her two fingers to his neck. She took deep breaths trying to calm herself as she felt a little pulse under her fingers. She jumped off the bed and grabbed her phone from the desk. She speed dialled Gibbs. Trying to control herself she glanced at Tony, he lay lifelessly on the bed.

" Pick up Gibbs. Pick up," She whispered desperately through her tears.

"Hello?"

Ziva wiped her tears from her cheeks.

"Gibbs, it's me," Ziva whispered hoarsely.

"Ziva? Are you okay?"

Ziva couldn't take it any longer as she stared at Tony, bloody and pale. She shook with each sob tears rolling down her cheeks.

"It's Tony. He's been shot" She cried. The words rang out in the silence. Ziva got onto the bed and held the blood soaked T-shirt as hard as she could with one hand, the other holding the phone to her ear as she heard Gibbs shout down the line.

"Geez Ziva. Stay there. I'll be there in five minutes"

"I'm at T-" Ziva sobbed, but the line had clicked off.

She put the phone down next to her and grabbed Tony's shoulder with her other hand. She let the tears roll down her face as she shook violently after every sob, gasping for air. She looked down at Tony's pale face and watched as her tears splashed on his face.

"McGEE!" Gibbs shouted

"Yeah boss?" McGee looked up from his computer.

Gibbs stormed to his desk grabbing placing his coffee on the desk as he grabbed his gear. He then stormed towards the elevator.

"McGee!" Gibbs growled. McGee jumped up from his desk grabbing his gear as fast as he could, he glanced at the abandoned coffee sitting on Gibbs' desk as he raced to the elevator. Gibbs had pressed the button. He stood waiting for the elevator his hand resting on the button. He bashed it in again.

"C'mon McGee!" Gibbs motioned towards the stairs, McGee followed. Both McGee and Gibbs ran to the parking lot. Gibbs jumped in the car, started the engine and took off as soon as McGee had closed his door. The black company car sped out of the parking lot and through the entrance out onto the deserted streets. Gibbs stepped on the accelerator and McGee braced himself as Gibbs turned right down a narrow alleyway and then into another one lined with trash cans. Gibbs spun the car into a deserted street and sped down to the intersection, ignoring the red light.

"Gibbs, Where are we going?" McGee spoke quietly, with concern.

Gibbs clenched his jaw.

"To Tony's"

McGee's face suddenly became very pale.

"Are Ziva and Tony alright Boss?"

Gibbs gripped the steering wheel and stepped on the gas.

"Gibbs?" McGee whispered, but he already knew the answer.

They both stared straight ahead as they sped along the long dark street.

The ambulance arrived just under five minutes after Ziva had called Gibbs . The longest 4 minutes and 50 seconds in her life. The bleeding had slowed but Ziva still gripped Tony's shoulder solidly with her shaking hands.

The first things the paramedics saw when they entered Tony's bedroom was Ziva crying uncontrollably, clutching Tony's shoulder. At that very moment a black company car pulled up outside the entrance to Tony's apartment building. Gibbs got out and ran to the entrance and up the stairs two at a time while McGee strode over to talk to the Paramedics and metro.

Two men lifted Tony onto a stretcher and hooked him up to the oxygen. They raced him downstairs to the awaiting van. Gibbs pushed past them to find Ziva standing with another paramedic. He grabbed Ziva and wrapped her in his arms as she melted into him and sobbed harder than she had ever done in her life, letting her tears soak into Gibbs' shirt. Gibbs stroked Ziva's hair.

"Tony's –"

"It's okay Ziva. Shhh it's okay" Gibbs whispered in Ziva's ear. She hugged him tighter trying to erase the memory Tony's helpless body. Gibbs kept his arm around Ziva's waist as he led her to the door.

"Ahh Sir?" Gibbs ignored the paramedic that had just grabbed his arm.

"Sir we have to take her..."

"She's alright, I will take care of her, I promise" Gibbs drew a cross on his chest and flashed a half smile at the paramedic as he left Tony's apartment.

Ziva was greatful for Gibbs taking her home but what she really wanted to do was hold Tony's hand in the ambulance. Gibbs took Ziva down to the car and helped her into the passenger seat. Ziva watched as the paramedics hurriedly loaded Tony into the back of the van. Metro had left now, Gibbs strode over and exchanged some words with the paramedics that McGee couldn't quite hear.

"What do I do boss?" McGee felt helpless seeing Ziva, her eyes red and puffy staring into the distance.

"McGee, ride in the ambulance with Tony and as soon as he is taken into surgery, let me know"

"Yes Boss" McGee started to climb into the back of the ambulance.

"Then you come straight back here and head the investigation" Gibbs started to walk towards the car.

"but B-" Gibbs spun on his heels to face McGee.

"McGee, just because it's one of our own agents in this investigation doesn't mean we stop working, it means we work harder,"

Gibbs strode off shouting the last bit of the sentence over his shoulder "So we can find the bastard that did this!"

McGee smiled and sat down next to the third paramedic. Gibbs climbed into the car and sped off, eyeing Ziva from the corner of his eye. They said nothing as they drove to Gibbs' house and nothing as he helped Ziva out of the car. Gibbs took Ziva straight to the shower as she was covered in Tony's blood. He grabbed one of his old NIS shirts and put it on the sink and then turned on the water.

"Ziva, if you need anything just call" Ziva nodded and Gibbs walked out of the bathroom shutting the door behind him. He made himself some coffee and then pulled his cell phone out from his pocket. He dialled Abby's number.

"Gibbs!" Abby's voice sounded cheerful on the other end of the phone.

"Hey Abbs" Gibbs tried to sound as upbeat as Abby it sounded wrong.

"What happened?" Abby's voice now sounded worried.

"Why do you think something happened Abby? Is that the only time I call you?" Gibbs forced out a laugh.

"It's 1 o'clock in the morning Gibbs. You only ring me at that time if someone has died," Abby gasped, "Are Ziva, Tony and McGee okay?" Abby's voice wavered.

"Yeh. Yeh, Ziva and McGee are okay Abby."

"Gibbs! What happened to Tony?"

"Okay Abbs, don't get too upset. Tony has been shot," Gibbs winced as he said the words.

"What!?" Abby yelled down the line, "Gibbs! Why didn't you just tell me? Where is he now? Is he alright? Oh my God Tony! Was there anyone with him?" Gibbs had tuned out as Abby shot questions at him. He strained his ears to hear the shower but Abby interupte his thoughts.

"Gibbs!"

"He's at Bethesda, McGee's gonna call me when he goes into surgery, it shouldn't be long now. Zi-"

Abby cut him off.

"McGee's there?" Abby's voice sounded slightly more cheerful when she said "McGee". Gibbs smiled.

"Yes Abby, McGee is there."

"I'm going to go and see Tony. Oh my God, I can't believe he was shot," Abby sounded worried again. Gibbs didn't undestand how Abby could change from happy to sad in such a short period of time.

"I'll call Ducky and ask him if he wants to come with me. Bye Gibbs"

"Bye Abbs"

Gibbs ended the call. He took a swig of coffee from his mug and walked over to the bathroom door. The water was running but it didn't sound like Ziva was using it. He knocked on the door.

"Come in" Ziva's soft voice came from the otherside of the door. Gibbs opened the door and saw Ziva huddled in the corner of the shower, in her black dress, letting the water run over her. Gibbs walked over to the shower and opened the door. Silently, Gibbs sat down next to her and put his arm around her and cried silently his shoulder.


	2. Chapter 2

Again, I do not own these characters. Sorry, the medical stuff might not be accurate, but I did my best.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"I keep seeing Tony as the bullet hit him."

Ziva sat in the corner of the shower holding with her arms wrapped around her knees and her chin resting on them. Gibbs sat next to her, his legs stretched out, listening.

"His face..." A tear rolled down her cheek and she quickly brushed it away, "He didn't even look scared, he knew what was coming next." Another tear streamed down Ziva's face, but she let it fall.

"It's my fault, that..." Ziva paused and took a breath, "that Tony got shot" She let out a long deep breath. It was painful for Ziva to admit it, but she too, had seen the bright flash, but it was too late, Tony had already made his move and Ziva had been helpless. Tony had saved her but she didn't feel saved. Her heart ached to see Tony so that she could replace the image of him, covered in blood, with one of him safe and healthy.

"Ziva," Gibbs' voice barely broke the silence, "Ziva, don't blame yourself, you couldn't have done-"

"You are wrong Gibbs," Ziva's tone had turned into a harsh whisper. She turned to face him.

"I could have done something, or not let Tony take control," she bit her lip, finding the words, "If I had acted quickly-" Ziva stopped talking when she heard Gibbs chuckle. She turned away from him, hiding her angry tears. Gibbs put his arm around her and smiled.

"What!" Ziva stared at Gibbs, "It was my faul-"

"Ziva, you can't control everything, especially Tony, hell, even I can't control Tony, he has a mind of his own. But, everything he does, he does it for a reason. What he did, was because of you Ziva, he was protecting you."

Ziva let the tears run as she leaned her head on Gibbs' shoulder. She knew how she felt about Tony, she had been battling her feelings for a while but she couldn't let them over take her, not here, not now. She had to be strong, not vulnerable. She would be there for Tony as a friend, but that was all. Before tonight, she thought she knew where Tony stood and that he didn't feel the same way, but now, she wasn't so sure. Until they had gone back to his apartment Ziva had thought Tony only thought of her as a colleague, his partner and that was all. But as he kissed her, Ziva had been shown otherwise. Ziva felt as though she belonged there, in his arms and Tony had held her so tightly, as if he never wanted to let her go. Ziva had hoped that that was the case but Ziva knew that there was no future in that and she didn't want to start getting her hopes up. They were colleagues, nothing more.

Gibbs' phone started to vibrate on the vanity. He squeezed Ziva's shoulders and got up. He flipped open the phone and answered.

"Yeah, Gibbs"

"Boss, they just took Tony into surgery. The bullet went in through his tricep, through his ribs into the chest cavity, looks like it just missed his heart and other vital organs. The bullet broke two ribs, and the doctor said he lost a lot of blood but they said that he will be okay unless they discover any complications"

"Complications?" Gibbs tilted his head waiting for McGee's response.

"Oh, if the bullet has done any more damage"

"Uh ha. And where is this bullet?"

"Ahh..."

"Did I stutter McGee?"

"Um no boss."

"Well then where is it?"

"There was no bullet, well there was, but none here, it didn't show up on the x-rays that they took."

"So you have no idea where the bullet is?"

"None, Boss"

"Well McGee, why are you still at the hospital? Get back to the crime scene and find that darn bullet!"

Gibbs hung up. Ziva was now standing next to him.

"How is he?"

"Fine. He's just gone into surgery," Ziva looked down at her hands. "Look Ziva, I've got to go, we're missing a bullet. You get some rest"

Gibbs grabbed a towel a wiped his face, arms and legs. He pulled another towel out from a cupboard and put it next to the old NIS shirt he had laid out for Ziva.

"You get clean and dry and then get some sleep"

Gibbs made to leave but Ziva grabbed his arm.

"I want to come"

Gibbs smiled and shook his head.

"I can't stay here and do nothing while Tony's..." Ziva wiped her tongue over her bottom lip and removed her hand from Gibbs' arm and put it on her hip.

"I can't do, nothing, Gibbs"

Gibbs started to walk away, he grinned.

"You can work on my boat." He sounded satisfied with himself. "Remember, with the grain, Ziva."

"McGeeee!" Abby came running up to McGee as he was leaving the hospital and greeted him with a crushing hug.

"Hi Abby,"

"Is he okay?" Abby didn't make any signs of letting go of McGee.

McGee grunted. Abby let go of him but kept her hands on his shoulders.

"Sorry Timmy"

McGee blushed but quickly covered up by telling Abby what the doctor had said about Tony. After he had finished, Abby had a hopeful smile on her face.

"So he is gonna be okay, right?"

"Yeah, I think so" McGee smiled.

Abby embraced him in another bear hug, forcing the breath out of him.

"That's so great" She said, then she realised that she was crushing McGee again and let go of him.

"Sorry," She smiled weakly, "Again"

It was silent between them for a moment as McGee looked into Abby's eyes, the McGee pulled himself away and looked down at the ground for a moment and back at Abby, avoiding her eyes.

"Well, I, I have to go"

"Oh you're not staying?"

"No. Gibbs wants me to investigate the crime scene," McGee nodded as he said the words.

Abby smiled at him, "I'll let you know when he comes out of surgery." She reached up and kissed him gently on the cheek. Then she walked off into the hospital without looking back. McGee watched her as she walked away, then he started off towards the parking lot. He reached up and touched the place where Abby had kissed him.

"Yes!" he muttered. Then suddenly he realised he didn't have a car. He cursed and then turned and bee-lined in the direction he had come from. He walked into the foyer of the Emergency Ward and looked around for Abby who was standing near a vending machine. He walked over to her .

"Hey, Abby"

"Did you miss me already McGee?" McGee blushed again and then smiled at her.

"Can I borrow your car? Gibbs dropped me off at Tony's and I rode in the ambulance to here."

"Yeah sure McGee, I'm not going anywhere." She fished around in her coat pockets for the keys. When she found them she handed them to him.

"You know which one it is." She smiled at him.

"Thanks so much Abbs," Abby liked the way 'Abbs' sounded when McGee said it, it was different to when Gibbs called her by that name. McGee had already jogged off towards the parking lot, the keys jingling in his hand.

When McGee reached the car park, he saw Abby's car instantly – it shone like a bright, red beacon. He slowed to a walk and when he reached the door, opened it with one quick turn of the key. He smiled to himself as he climbed into the driver's seat. He had always loved Abby's car. It was vintage, one of a kind and that was what he loved about Abby, she was unique and unpredictable. He took the shortest route he knew from the hospital, one that had been shown to him by Gibbs when he first became an agent. Gibbs had said it took about 5 minutes, it had taken McGee 10, but that was at normal pace, not Gibbs pace. He was quite proud of himself that he had remembered the way and hadn't gotten lost. As he pulled in across the street from Tony's apartment, he turned off the ignition and looked up. He almost jumped out of his skin, Gibbs was standing outside his window, bent down, peering in at him impatiently. McGee opened the door slowly giving Gibbs time to get out of the way. McGee hopped out and locked the car, pocketing the keys.

"What took you so long McGee?" Gibbs smirked.

"I had no car boss."

Gibbs laughed, "Yeah, didn't think of that."

"Luckily I saw Abby on my out."

Gibbs had already started to walk away, "Well C'mon then."

Gibbs walked towards Tony's apartment building watching the few people on the street carefully as if anybody could be a suspect. He smiled to himself, he had been an agent long enough to know that killers don't stick around for long. This meant that the longer they took, the less chance they had of finding Tony's shooter.


	3. Chapter 3

I don't own NCIS

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ziva was annoyed that Gibbs hadn't let her go with him; she hated it when she couldn't do anything. She had a shower and got cleaned up. She was wearing the NIS shirt Gibbs had laid out for her, and some sweat pants she had found downstairs in the basement that smelled of paint thinner and wood shavings. Gibbs had told her to sleep, but every time she closed her eyes, she saw Tony. She had seen enough of Tony today and she couldn't bear to think of him lying on the cold surgical table. She looked around Gibbs' house, even though she had been here a few times, she had never seen his entire house. She wandered into the living room, where there were two brown couches, a throw rug, a coffee table with a glass top, a bookshelf and an old stereo system. There were four framed pictures on the bookshelf; one of the team, one of Gibbs and a fellow marine, the one of Jenny that Gibbs had taken in Serbia and one of Tony and Abby goofing around in Abby's lab. Ziva picked up the one of Tony and Abby. They both looked younger, so Ziva thought it must have been taken before she had joined the team. She looked on the back for a date, but there was none. Ziva moved on to the kitchen, which adjoined onto the living room. There wasn't much in there, just a bench, fridge, oven - the usual kitchen appliances and a table with an opened newspaper on it. Ziva walked down the hall, past the bathroom she had showered in and past the laundry which looked as though it had never been used. She walked up the stairs at the end of the hall onto the second landing. Ziva hesitated at the top of the stairs, she wanted to look around on this level but something about the hallway that she saw in front of her said that she shouldn't. It was as if no one ever came up here, Ziva wouldn't be surprised if Gibbs never came up here, he had everything he needed down on the ground floor and the basement. Ziva turned around and walked back down the stairs, she didn't want to invade Gibbs' privacy. She wandered back down into the basement; she figured that if she had nothing else to do, she might as well work on the boat. She picked up the manual sander and started to work.

Abby sat in the waiting room with her feet crossed on the chair. She tapped her fingers on the arm rest, ignoring the annoyed looks people were giving her. Her eyes were fixed on the Emergency room door, waiting for someone to emerge. In the past hour no one had gone in or out, there had been seven phone calls to the reception, 3 people had come into the foyer and three people had left, 5 people had taken something out of the vending machine, one of them Abby and now there were 8 people waiting for someone to come through that door. Abby had counted all this while she had been sitting in that chair. She thought about Tony, she couldn't believe it, just yesterday she had been talking to him about what he was going to do today, which was very different to what he was going to be doing instead. Five hours, cut open on a hard, cold, metal table, a few more hours unconscious, possibly more, and the rest of the hours, stuck in bed with an incredibly sore arm. Poor Tony. She didn't worry too much, she knew that he was going to be okay, she just had a good feeling today – that everything would be okay.

"Abigail!"

Ducky's voice pulled Abby out of her thoughts and she stopped tapping her fingers.

"Ducky!" Abby sounded cheerful.

"I'm sorry I didn't come sooner, I only just got your message, I was asleep at the time of your call." Ducky sat down in the seat next to Abby. She made a mental note. _Now four people have entered the foyer._

"Have you heard anything?"

Abby shook her head. "Nope, not yet" Abby started to tap her fingers again, despite the groans she heard from the other people in the waiting room. Now both Ducky and Abby, along with the other seven people, sat quietly, watching the door in case someone came out.

Although Gibbs had been at Tony's apartment only a couple of hours ago, he had not taken everything in. As he entered the apartment into the living room, he noticed two large wine glasses, one empty, the other one with a mouthful left in it. He put on his gloves and walked around into the kitchen, which was spotless except for two plates and two sets of cutlery in the sink. Gibbs then walked into the bedroom. The bed covers were pulled up, but crumpled, the pillows had been pushed off, and there was the large blood stain on it. Gibbs saw Tony's shoes lying at the bottom of the bed and a scarf that Ziva must have been wearing, next to them. He knew what had been going on here, but this time they weren't undercover. McGee's reaction was a bit different, as he walked into the bedroom, he noticed the blood first, then the shoes and scarf and then the pillows. It took him a couple of seconds to register what this meant, but when he realised, he wasn't all that surprised. At work lately, Tony and Ziva had been very close, always being each other's partners, flirting, bickering and stealing looks at each other when they thought no one was looking. McGee was sure that there was something going on between them, or they wanted something to happen between them. McGee had already pulled on his gloves, so now he took photos before Gibbs could tell him to do so. He took several of the blood stain, three of the shattered window and broken glass on the floor, one looking across to where the shot could've come from and one of the bed.

"Time to bag and tag McGee" Gibbs handed McGee the kit. Gibbs squatted down under the window and started to pick up the broken shards of glass with a pair of tweezers he had taken out of the kit. McGee looked around the room at the bed and at the items on the floor, and then he squatted down next to Gibbs and started to pick up the pieces. Gibbs looked at McGee.

"I've got this McGee," Gibbs stared at McGee.

"But uh-" Gibbs chuckled and stood up.

"It's okay McGee, you take over," McGee sighed with relief but he knew this wasn't over. Gibbs stripped off the bed cover and the sheets and stuffed them into a large bag. He looked up at the window and stopped. He squinted, he had been looking up at the window across from Tony's, one floor up, a perfect angle. He finished stuffing the sheets into the bag, grabbed the camera and strode towards the door. McGee looked around.

"I'm just gonna go and check out that apartment," He pointed and left the room. McGee finished picking up the shards of glass and looked around for something else he could do. He looked across at the wall across from the shattered window trying to scout for where the bullet could have hit.

Gibbs had just reached the 4th floor of the apartment building across from Tony's. He strode along the hallway looking for the room that he had spotted from across the road. He watched the numbers on the doors. 412. 414. 416. 418. Gibbs was sure that 418 was the room but if not he would try the others. He knocked on the door and waited for an answer. He could hear footsteps from the other side of the door and then it opened. A man dressed in track pants and an old T-shirt stood at the door. He looked tired and had bags under his eyes, he must have been sleeping.

"Hello?" The man looked Gibbs up and down while he spoke.

"I'm Agent Gibbs," Gibbs held up his badge, flipping it to show his I.D. "I was wondering if I could take a look at your apartment?"

The man eyed Gibbs, puzzled.

"At this hour?" The man yawned as Gibbs nodded.

The man shrugged his shoulders and opened the door wider, allowing Gibbs to pass through. First, he headed straight to window in the living room. The drapes were pulled back and Gibbs could see through to Tony's apartment, but only the kitchen. He took a quick picture of the outlook. He walked further to the left into what he assumed was the man's bedroom. He pulled open the drapes that had been closed in the room to keep the light from the street out. He could just see into Tony's bedroom but he couldn't see the bed, but he took another photo anyway. He examined the window, it was sealed shut, there was no way of opening it.

"Must be some investigation your running," the man had appeared behind Gibbs. Gibbs spun around, he had forgotten something important. Gibbs faced the man.

"Can I ask you a few questions?" The man nodded his consent.

"Did you hear anything unusual tonight?"

The man rubbed his eyes, as if trying to stay awake.

"No."

"No loud noises?"

The man's eyes drifted from Gibbs face to the window.

"Yeah." The man looked around him, avoiding Gibbs gaze.

The man sat down on the bed, offering for Gibbs to sit next to him. Gibbs didn't move.

The man began to re-tell what he had heard and seen in the hours leading up to when Tony was shot. He described how he had heard voices next door and that he had heard a woman scream from across the road. He hadn't seen his neighbours in a week and remembered them telling him that they were going away. He yawned again.

"That's all Agent Gibbs." He closed his eyes for a second as if hinting for Gibbs to leave.

"Thanks..."

"Jack" The man replied quickly. Gibbs pulled out a card from his pocket.

"If you think of anything, just give me a call." Gibbs nodded and walked out of the apartment, closing the door softly behind him.

Gibbs silently walked down the corridor to the next apartment and placed his ear to the door. Silence. He rapped softly on the door. Nothing. He knocked louder this time and there was still no sound of anyone on the other side. He gave the door a loud bang. Still nothing. He grunted. He remembered seeing a sign saying that the building's supervisor was in room 111. He jogged towards the stairs and skipped down a two levels and went through the door that said Level One. He found room 111 easily enough and bashed on the door. It was at least a minute before the door swung open to reveal a chubby man around his 40's wrapped in a dressing gown.

"WHAT?" The man demanded.

"I need to get into an apartment." Gibbs showed the man his badge. The man stayed where he was glaring at Gibbs.

"It's for an important investigation."

"Which apartment?" The man narrowed his eyes.

"420"

The man shook his head.

"Sorry, the people that live there are out of town, have been for a week. I can't let you in there without a warrant."

"This is for a federal investigation! I have to get in there!" Gibbs was practically shouting now.

The man shook his head, "Not without a warrant."

Gibbs bashed his hand on the wall near where the man's face and exhaled through his teeth. He leaned in very close to the man's ear and whispered, "I'll be back. With a warrant, and you will wish you'd never met me." With this, Gibbs turned on his heel and walked briskly down the corridor towards the stairs.

McGee had just finished sketching the apartment when Gibbs returned. Gibbs noticed that McGee had laid out all the evidence bags on the table along with the sketch pad.

"I think I got everything Boss," McGee met Gibbs in the living room.

"The bullet?" McGee looked down at the floor.

"I looked everywhere, Gibbs. The bed, the floor, the wall, closet. Anywhere it could have ended up. Nothing" McGee shook his head daring to look up at Gibbs. Gibbs stared back at McGee, his left eye was squinting. McGee closed his eyes and waited for the head slap but Gibbs walked over to the table and started to collect the evidence bags. McGee opened his eyes and shot over and grabbed the sketch pad and remaining bags and followed Gibbs out. Gibbs waited for McGee to get out the apartment before pulling the shut and locking it. Both agents made their way down the stairs and onto the street. McGee walked over to the black company car but Gibbs strode purposefully over to Abby's car. His hands were full so he jerked his head towards the car, telling McGee to get over there and open it. He walked over to the car placed the evidence bags on the bonnet of the car, pretending not to see the glare that Gibbs was giving him, and fumbled in his pocket for the keys. Once the car was open, Gibbs placed all the evidence in a box on the back seat, along with the camera and other things.

"So, I'll take this to Abby's lab, ready for her when she gets in." McGee opened the driver's door and slid in.

"Yeah," Gibbs placed his hand on the top of the open door, "Then go and get some sleep, it's been a long night." McGee nodded.

"Thanks Boss."

Gibbs closed the door and McGee drove off towards NCIS. Gibbs smiled as he watched him drive away. He pulled out his phone and dialled a number as he walked back to his car. He put it to his ear and climbed in.


	4. Chapter 4

i still don't own NCIS or any of the characters

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Director Vance sat at his desk in his home, he had just gotten off the phone with Agent Gibbs. He was furious; one of his agents had been shot and Gibbs had decided to take it into his own hands. He had opened an investigation, cordoned off the crime scene, collected evidence and questioned a possible witness – all before calling the Director. In fact, Vance was sure, that if the manager of the apartment block across the street from the crime scene, had not demanded a warrant, he would not have found out about this incident until the morning. Well, later in the morning. It was only quarter-to-three in the morning and there was no way Vance was going to wake up one of the lawyers to get a warrant – Gibbs would have to wait. The problem with this, was that he knew Gibbs wouldn't wait and after all, he was the director of NCIS, he could make any one of his employees get up at this time to get him the warrant. He finally gave in to his internal battle. He pulled out a folder containing his employee's information and flipped to the 'Law department' section. He picked up the phone that sat on his desk and dialled a number. He sighed as he listened to it ring.

Ziva lay curled up in the hull of Gibbs' boat, her hand curled around the jar of Bourbon he kept for 'emergencies'. Gibbs chuckled when he saw her. He gently pried the jar out of Ziva's hand and set it down on his workbench after taking a sip of it himself. He turned the chair around and sat on it, facing Ziva, his arms leaning on the back. He noticed that Ziva's face was streaked with tears. Another tear rolled down Ziva's face and dripped from her nose. She started to shake and Gibbs heard her whimper Tony's name before her eyes flew open, as if sensing that he was watching her. She sat up quickly, surprised when she noticed Gibbs.

"Gibbs" Ziva discreetly wiped her cheek.

"Ziva" Gibbs smiled his crooked smile.

"How long have been home?" Ziva swung her legs over the side of the boat.

"About 5 minutes"

"How long have you been here?"

He cocked his head to one side, "About 4 and a half," Gibbs smile turned into a smirk. Ziva forced a little smile, dropping her eyes from Gibbs to her lap.

"Are you okay?" Gibbs said with sympathy hinted in his voice.

Ziva nodded.

"Yes, I am okay. Why would I be otherwise?"

Gibbs stood up, "Well I dunno Ziva, maybe because your partner just got shot." He paused. "And you were covered in his blood." Gibbs took a breath and Ziva waited for him to continue. A long minute passed of silence between the two. Gibbs had quietly started to sand the other side of the boat and Ziva sat dead still playing with her hands, tears welling in her eyes. She didn't dare look up at Gibbs. She couldn't let him in on her true feelings, although he probably already knew. Of course Ziva wasn't okay, the entire night had been extremely traumatic for her. She had had everything one minute only to have it ripped away from her the next. She could never let Gibbs know that the ache in her chest was because of Tony. She was not even sure that it was love, but it was enough for now. A tear dropped from her face, although her face was hidden, it didn't go unnoticed by Gibbs.

"I want to see him, Gibbs"

Gibbs continued to sand the beam of his boat, giving her, her space.

"Ziva, you don't really want to see him like that"

"I want to be there when he wakes up, Gibbs" She looked up at him, her eyes glistening.

"I want to... I need to see that he is okay. I hate being kept in the dark"

Gibbs remained silent.

"What would he think? He wakes up and I'm not there." Tears started to cascade down her face as she imagined it.

"I'm meant to be going through this with him." She was thinking out loud now, forgetting that Gibbs was there. Suddenly it hit her. The events flashed in her mind; The bright flash, then Tony rolling on top of her. She breathing heavily now. Tony rolled on top of her, after the bullet had been fired.

"Gibbs," Ziva was sobbing now, her tears splashing onto the wood. Gibbs stopped sanding and looked at Ziva.

"I think that bullet was meant for me."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sorry this chapter is so short! Review please!


	5. Chapter 5

**i still don't own NCIS...**

**---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

"Abby" McGee whispered.

"Abby"

Abby shot up.

"Tony! Where's Tony? Is he okay? McGee, tell me he's okay!"

McGee jumped back from Abby's flailing arms.

"Abby. Abby, he's okay." McGee placed both his hands on her shoulders, calming her down.

"Are you sure?" McGee nodded in reply.

"They just brought him out of surgery. He's still sleeping but he's okay. I just called Gibbs"

"Can I see him?"

"No. The doctor said that no one can see him before he wakes up"

"McGee! He can't wake up alone!" Abby struggled out of McGee's grip and stormed over to the desk.

"Can I talk to the doctor of Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo, please?"

"Yes miss, ah he's right behind you"

"Oh. Thanks."

Both McGee and Abby rushed over to the doctor.

"Why can't we see him?" Abby's tone was insistent and her eyes were the size of golf balls.

The doctor chuckled and Abby narrowed her eyes.

"You can see him."

"When?" Abby's eyes were still narrowed.

"Now. If you want."

Abby clapped her hands together.

"Really?"

"Yes, but he's still asleep, I'll show you to his room."

"See McGee, all you have to do is ask." Abby linked her arm through McGee's and followed the doctor through the doors.

Tony's room was on the second floor and it had a view of a wooded park. Tony lay on his side, his shoulder in a brace and his arm in the sling that was attached. He was hooked up to the IV and and there was an oxygen tube feeding into his nose. The sun had just risen and shadows were being cast on the far wall of the room as Abby and McGee entered. Abby gasped when she saw him and hugged McGee closer. She hadn't realised how extensive his injuries were. His face was almost white it was so pale and she could see the short breaths he was taking. She pulled a chair over from the wall so that it was right next to his bed and McGee grabbed the second one placing it next to Abby's. Abby sat down and took held Tony's free hand in hers. She still clutched McGee's hand tightly but McGee wasn't complaining. She looked at him and he could see the concern on her face. He squeezed her hand tightly.

Gibbs' phone had broken the silence between him and Ziva. Now they sat in the car. Ziva had finished telling Gibbs the events that led up to the shooting and Gibbs remained silent, processing it. Ziva had kept out some of the intimate details that she did not want Gibbs to know. She had told him how after work they had gone for pizza and then come back and watched Sleepless in Seattle at Tony's apartment with a glass of wine. She knew Gibbs would guess the rest, he had been to Tony's apartment. Ziva had been surprised with Gibbs' reaction. He had stayed silent, and had kept driving at the same pace. She had half expected him to fire her right there and then but considering the circumstances, that would have been an overreaction. Gibbs would wait until Tony was better to kill them both.

The car stopped and Gibbs jumped out of the car and jogged round to the passenger side to help ZIva out. They both walked silently into the brick building. They reached the elevator and Gibbs pushed the button and the doors opened immediately. Ziva stepped in first followed by Gibbs and the doors closed after them. Gibbs had already pushed the button. Ziva looked down, she was still wearing Gibbs' NIS shirt and track pants and her hair was a mess, but it was early in the morning and Ziva had had hardly any sleep. She felt Gibbs' eyes on her so she looked up. His stare wasn't one of anger or disappointment, it was one of sympathy and a concern. Gibbs had never seen Ziva this distraught and he had seen her cry more tonight than all the other times, put together. He knew ZIva had changed since she first started at NCIS, she had become more like a person than an assassin. He and everybody else could see that Tony and Ziva had become closer and you slice the tension between them with a knife. Gibbs knew that he was the only thing keeping them from getting involved with each other.

"I'm not mad, Ziva"

Ziva was startled by the words that pierced the silence. She didn't really know what to say to that, so she looked down at the ground and nodded. The doors slid open noiselessly, only the bell making a noise. ZIva followed Gibbs across the room and up the stairs.

Director Vance sat behind his desk, the warrant laid out before him. He was dressed in his suit with an open neck shirt and pin-stripe suit pants. The door to his office opened with a click.

"Agent Gibbs, Ziva" He nodded at the two agents who stood in front of him and picked up the paper in front of him.

"I've got the warrant you asked for, although, it might be nice to apologise to Agent Sampson if you see him."

Both Gibbs and the director smiled and Gibbs leaned forward and took the warrant.

"Gibbs, I want to be kept in the loop on this investigation." Gibbs nodded.

The director crossed his arms and rested them on the desk.

"I trust Agent DiNozzo is going to be alright."

"Yes, he's out of surgery now." Ziva's head snapped up to look at Gibbs. She bit her lip and glared at Gibbs.

As if reading Ziva's mind Gibbs added, "He's still sleeping. Abby and McGee are with him now."

Ziva looked at the Director who was watching her cautiously out of the corner of his eye.

"We better get started on the rest of this investigation. Thanks again Leon"

Gibbs turned on his heel and walked out the door. Ziva glanced back at the director before following Gibbs out. Gibbs' phone rang as they entered the squad room and Ziva was instantly at Gibbs' side.

"Gibbs"

"Hi Boss, I was just ringing to let you know that the doctor said that Tony could possibly be awake in the next hour." Gibbs walked towards the big window and looked out at the sunrise over the city.

"Thanks, McGee" He hung up and turned around to see Ziva standing between her desk and Tony's with her arms crossed. To Gibbs her stare looked more like she was trying to hold back tears than to intimidate him.

"Ziva" he said in a soothing tone. He knew that she had heard McGee on the other end.

"Gibbs, I want to see him." She was firm and he knew she wasn't going to give up easily.

"Ziva, we went through this. It's better if you saw him later. You've been through a lot tonight. You need rest."

Ziva went and sat behind her desk, still staring at Gibbs furiously. Gibbs walked past her to his desk. He placed his cell phone next to the cup of coffee he had left there earlier and took out the keys and dropped them into the drawer.

"I'm hittin' the head. You," He pointed at Ziva, "Try and get some sleep."

Ziva watched Gibbs walk down the hall until he was out of view, she then jumped up and took the keys out of Gibbs' drawer and jogged towards the stairs.

"Ziva?" Gibbs looked around the empty squad room. He strode over to his desk and checked behind her desk. Nothing. His draw was open and he looked in and realised his keys were gone.

"Dammit Ziva" He hadn't thought that she would actually take them but this just proved how much Ziva wanted to see Tony. He grabbed his phone off the desk. It was no use ringing ZIva because her cell was down in Abby's lab. He rang McGee.

"McGee"

"Hi Boss. What's up?"

"Ziva's on her way over, she took my car." He paused. "I need both you and Abby back here as soon as Ziva get's there"

"Okay Boss. Ah, Abby wants to stay with Tony"

"Well tell Abby that she can see him later."

"Sure B- " Gibbs hung up before McGee could finish. He sat down behind his desk and took a swig of his cold coffee, grimacing at the taste. He knew Ziva would be there soon especially with her driving. He sighed leaning back on his chair - he would at least give her a few minutes head start.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Thanks for reading, please review!**

**xx r**


	6. Chapter 6

**I don't own NCIS...yet...**

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Abby and McGee got out of the red car which they had parked in the garage. Abby had insisted on driving because she'd had the most sleep. McGee could feel the exhaustion starting to take its toll. He could feel his eyelids starting to droop and his body remained very still. Abby had turned up the music (a CD labelled 'Rise and Shine') to try and keep him awake.

Now as they stood in the elevator, Abby thought about Tony. She hadn't heard the whole story of what happened even though McGee had filled her in on most of it. She liked the idea of Ziva and Tony together. They made a perfect couple, they completed each other. Even though they tried their hardest to cover it up by teasing each other and annoying each other, it just made it more obvious that they had feelings for each other. Abby had noticed that Tony's face lit up whenever Ziva walked in the room and that conversations with Ziva usually ended up to be about Tony. She knew Gibbs didn't approve of agents dating, she didn't exactly know where that rule came from but she was pretty sure it was there from experience. She had really wanted to stay with Tony until he woke up but McGee had managed to persuade her to come with him with extra Caf-pow's. She knew that she would be helping Tony by finding the person that shot him and Ziva would be there, so she had left with McGee. The doors slid open to reveal the squad room. A few people had arrived early to work but Abby and McGee traipsed towards Gibb's desk. He was leaning back on his chair, eyes closed. Abby smiled, and hugged McGee.

"I should head down to the lab," she whispered in his ear. McGee sat behind his desk and turned on his computer watching Abby as she made her way towards the other elevator.

Abby returned in 5 minutes with a huge smile on face. In one hand she held a Caf-Pow! And in the other a large cup of Starbucks coffee. She strode over to Gibbs' desk and replaced his old coffee with his new one and then sat on McGee's desk. The sun was up now, even though it only 6:00. Abby pulled out her cell phone and held it up looking at the screen which now displayed Gibbs.

"Don't even think about it Abbs," McGee smiled as Abby snapped her phone shut.

"Wipe that grin off your face McGee, we have work to do"

Abby turned to look at McGee as Gibb's eyes fluttered open. Abby jumped off McGee's desk and walked over and gave the now standing Gibbs a hug.

"Morning Gibbs!"

Gibbs returned the hug, still glaring at McGee who was typing on his computer. Gibbs de-abbyed himself and strode over to McGee's desk, holding the warrant. He placed it down on McGee's desk and turned to Abby.

"Have you analysed any of the evidence yet?"

"Gibbs, we only just got here." She slurped on her Caf-Pow!, "Plus, I had to get my breakfast."

Gibbs kept his eyes on Abby and pried the Caf-pow! Out of Abby's hands.

"I will do it now." Abby nodded as Gibbs placed the cup back in her hands before she marched off towards the elevator. Gibbs turned to McGee.

"Do you want me to go over and check out the apartment, Boss?" He said holding up the warrant.

"Yeah McGee, that would be a start."

McGee got up holstered his gun which he had put in the draw when he put brought the evidence back, and walked out of the bull pen. Gibbs cleared his throat, holding up the keys to the truck. McGee turned realising he didn't have the keys and spotted Gibbs. He held his hand out to catch the keys but Gibbs walked past him, smiling. McGee sighed, he was going to have to put up with Gibbs' driving again – at least he wouldn't be in the back.

Down in Abby's lab, the music was blaring. She had put on her favourite CD. She took some swabs of the blood on Tony's sheet, she had laid out the broken glass in her office.

"Wake up!" she called to her machines as she put the swab of the blood in a glass tube and placed it into the mass spectrometer. She scanned the finger prints that McGee had collected and naturally they came up as Tony and Ziva's. She didn't have much to work on because the shot had been long range. She pulled up the photo's of the crime scene and started to mock-up the scene on her computer.

Gibbs pounded on the building's manager's door.

"Open up!"

McGee stood behind Gibbs looking around timidly as Gibbs went to pound again but the door swung open just before his hand came in contact with the wood.

"Oh it's you" The manager's eyes narrowed and he crossed his arms.

"We'd like to see the apartment now."

Gibbs held his hand out towards McGee who produced the warrant from his jacket. The manager snatched it out of McGee's hand before Gibbs could. He peered at the paper with his eyes darting all over the place. Finally he handed it back to McGee although Gibbs held out his hand. McGee offered it to him but he waved him off and put his hands in his pockets.

"Fine"

The manager disappeared into his apartment and came out in less than a minute holding a key that was attached to a blue tag. Gibbs held out his hand but the manager ignored him and stepped out slamming the door behind him. The three men walked up the stairs to the apartment across the road from Tony's. The manager stopped at the door and knocked three times, he waited, but there was no answer so he jammed the key into the lock and the door swung open.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Sorry this chapter is short aswell... hope you enjoyed it.**

**xx**


	7. Chapter 7

sorry it took so long! This is my shortest chapter so far - i wanted to make it longer but I didn't have the time.

__________________________________________________________

The doctor had lead Ziva to Tony's room without hesitation. He was in a nice room (well as nice as a hospital room could be) with a view. She saw Tony lying on his side. Her breath caught when she saw him, he was pale and hooked up to all these drips and wires. She looked down, forcing herself to breathe. Normally this thing wouldn't affect her this way, but to have someone she knew and cared for as much as she did for Tony, in this situation was different. She had changed a lot since she had started working for NCIS. She had learnt how to feel again. After her sister's death, she had become cold, fearless and well, heartless. She believed that if she had been through that pain, anybody else could, so she became the ruthless assassin, born and bred by her father. Working at NCIS had softened her; she was an investigator not a killer. She had made friends here, which was not really an option in Israel – you suspected everyone.

She tried to control herself; she couldn't let herself get like this. She just didn't know what she would do if Tony... She looked around the room and spotted the two chairs next to the bed. Abby and McGee must have moved them there. She sat in the one closest to Tony and looked at him, he looked so helpless. Ziva knew Gibbs was right, but she needed to be here with Tony – not only for him but for her as well. She felt complete when she was around him and she could just be herself with him. She knew that if anything happened to her, Tony would be there for her. She watched him, he was taking short breaths. She took his hand in hers resting them on the bed and stroked his cheek with her other hand, feeling his stubbly skin beneath hers. She brushed his hair back, stroking his forehead. Suddenly she felt tired, she laid her head next to Tony's and tucked her hand under her cheek. She squeezed Tony's hand and drifted off to sleep.

Hours must have passed. Tony saw his life flash before his eyes. He saw the times his mother dressed him as a sailor. He saw his parents fighting and then when they told him they were getting a divorce. He saw the day he started at NCIS, the day Kate died, the day he saved Gibbs from the car when it went into the water and he saw Jenny after she had been shot and killed. Once the slideshow of his life had ended, an imprint of the last image he saw stayed with him. Ziva. Suddenly he was aware of a beeping noise and a hand grasping his. He tried to shift himself into a more comfortable position but became painfully aware that his other arm was bandaged and in a sling and his shoulder was aching. He opened his eyes. He saw Ziva, her head nestled next to his good shoulder. He squeezed her hand gently. She lifted her head so that her face was only a couple of inches away.

"You're awake," She whispered softly.

Tony smiled.

"You were snoring"

Ziva sighed in relief when she saw the grin on his face. She reached over to touch his cheek, without any hesitation. Tony watched Ziva closely as she touched his cheek. He knew that she blamed herself for what had happened, but really, it was his fault for getting so caught up in it all. He had been there to protect her. He had been her shield.

"I'm glad you're here." Tony whispered. Ziva looked into his eyes apologetically, a smile invading her face. He brought her hand up to his face and kissed it lightly. Ziva opened her mouth to say something but she couldn't find the words. She wanted to tell him how sorry she was that he had been shot, she wanted to tell him how much he meant to her and how she felt like she belonged in his arms but right now all she could think about was how she was falling in love with him.

"I'm glad you're okay" she whispered back.

They stayed silent for what seemed like a long time, looking into each other's eyes, trying to figure out what the other was thinking. Ziva laid her head next to Tony's shoulder again but looked up again when she felt him shuffle over. He had made enough space for her on the bed.

She tilted her head.

"Tony ..."

He glared at her and tugged on her hand.

"Ziva"

She slid onto the bed letting go of his hand and lay down facing away from him. She sighed feeling his breath on her neck as he placed his good arm carefully around her head and stroked her hair back off her face in the process. Tony pulled her closer and kissed her on the neck. He smiled when he felt Ziva's heart jump. Ziva felt complete lying there with him and dozed off quickly, Tony remained awake. He watched Ziva, her peaceful face as she slept snuggled next to him, the rise and fall of her chest. The grey rain clouds had covered the sun now, but the wooded park outside Tony's window still looked beautiful. He reasoned that his close brush with death had made him more appreciative of the things around him; especially Ziva. He closed his eyes, breathing in her scent. She smelled faintly of sawdust, which Tony guessed she had picked up from Gibbs' basement. He matched his breathing with hers and soon he was asleep too.

But not for long. Tony felt a force hit his head and his eyes opened instantly. He looked around; Ziva still lay nestled next to him on the bed. He turned his head slightly to see Gibbs sending a fierce gaze his way. Tony smiled sheepishly.

"Hi Boss"


	8. Chapter 8

**hello! this is a bit longer than the last one. Hopefully you'll like it! oh I don't own the characters or show...**

-------------------------------------------------

Ziva shot off the bed in a flash. She knew that Gibbs was probably aware of her and Tony's feelings towards each other, but she was caught off guard. Gibbs' gaze followed her as she repositioned herself next to Tony's bed. Ziva braved a glance is his direction but quickly dropped it to look at Tony.

"I'll go grab some coffee" She hurried out the door with an apologetic expression on her face never taking her eyes off Tony until she was out of view.

"DiNozzo?"

Gibbs narrowed his eyes at Tony watching him closely.

"She needed comforting, and she was tired"

Gibbs folded his arms briefly glancing to the door Ziva had disappeared out of.

"DiNozzo, I asked you to protect her -"

"and I did a pretty good job of it don't you think?"

Gibbs ignored Tony and continued speaking.

"You were the only one that she wouldn't get suspicious of"

Gibbs waited for Tony to interrupt again, but he stayed silent.

"Is there anything I should know?"

Tony stretched his hand on his sore arm wincing as it moved.

"No Boss," He looked up at Gibbs' curious eyes, "She was pretty shaken up."

He looked back down at his hand, ignoring Gibbs' 'I'm-not-buying-it' face.

"You are two of the best agents around, DiNozzo, and I don't want anything to change that," Gibbs paused watching Tony carefully.

Tony knew where this was going, he could feel his face getting hot. He felt like he was back in primary school, when he had lied about losing his homework and his teacher had tried to extract the truth from him. He knew he couldn't hide anything from Gibbs – it was only a matter of time before he found out how his best two agents felt about each other.

Gibbs could see that Tony was getting flustered. He half smiled knowing his suspicions were correct. He decided it wasn't the right time to interrogate his senior field agent considering he was recovering from a potential near – death experience.

"We located the room where the shot was fired from."

Tony looked up, grateful for the change of subject.

"Really?"

"Yep, it was an apartment across the street, one level up."

"I knew that building was evil, it always reminded me of the house in "House on Haunted Hill" it just had that creepiness about it."

Gibbs raised his eyebrow at Tony who was babbling on about some movie he had seen with Geoffrey Brush or something. He cleared his throat and continued.

"and then-"

"It was an apartment leased out to a Jane and Kent Landerson. You know 'em?"

Tony shook his head.

"Never heard of them, boss"

"There wasn't much there. A couch, bookshelf – no books and a fridge but the place was spotless. No dirt, no dust, not much evidence to work on. There were no clothes or personal items in the closets so I don't think they are coming back. McGee got everything that we found to Abby"

Gibbs pulled out his cell phone and dialled Abby's number.

"Hey Abbs, What've you got?"

"How do you do that? Do you have a secret camera hidden in here somewhere?"

"Abs"

"Okay. I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours."

"You first." Gibbs smiled imagining Abby searching for the camera.

"Abby"

Abby sighed

"Fine. I ran a background check on the Landerson's. Mr Landerson got promoted and so he and his Mrs moved down to Palm Beach, Florida. They've been gone two weeks. I haven't got a reply from the solicitor that handled all the legal stuff."

Abby cleared her throat twice before Gibbs answered.

"What else did you find Abby."

"Gi-ibbs!"

Gibbs chuckled on the other end of the phone.

"Three partials. I was able to match two of them – they belong to the same person – but I haven't got a name for either."

Abby waited for Gibbs to speak, but all she heard was silence.

"Gibbs"

"Yeah Abs"

"Your turn!" She smiled, eager to find out Gibbs' secret.

"In the fridge." Gibbs clicked off and turned back to DiNozzo.

Abby hung up the phone and raced excitedly over to the fridge. She searched high and low for a camera or sensor until she realised she was looking for the wrong thing. On the second bottom shelf, there was a caf-pow! She smiled, although a little disappointed. She returned to her desk, subtly glancing around the room in case she had missed something.

Gibbs tucked his phone into his pocket and turned back to Tony. He lay the same as he had been while he was talking to Gibbs, but he was asleep and his head sunk into the pillow. Gibbs smiled, leaving his agent to rest. He left the room and headed to the cafeteria. He scanned the room for Ziva but couldn't see her so he helped himself to the coffee pot that was sitting on a table. He sipped his coffee taking one last glance around the room before leaving.

Ziva sat alone on a bench with a steaming cup of coffee. She watched as patients of the hospital and their visitors ambled through the park. She took a sip of her coffee, making a face as the burning liquid slid down her throat. She didn't need time to think, more to clear her head, get her thoughts straight and get back to reality. "What am I doing?" She asked herself. "What happens if it doesn't work out?" "Do we feel the same way about each other?" The questions kept popping into her head and she knew that she had to answer them before she went back inside. She took another sip, forgetting the reason why she had hardly drunk any in the first place as she answered them in her head. She stood up. She understood the consequences, she knew what she was doing and she was about to find out how he felt. One last question popped into her head as she dropped the cup of coffee into the trash can. "Is he worth it?" Yes, he was, and she was about to tell him how she felt.

Tony woke up to an empty room. Gibbs had left and Ziva had not come back. Suddenly he felt guilty, remembering what Gibbs had been talking to him about. He had told Tony to protect Ziva after he had received an anonymous tip, threatening Ziva. Tony had loved the time that they had spent together up until he had been shot. He felt guilty because Ziva had no idea that he was following orders or that her life was in danger, even though Tony was grateful for the extra time he got to spend with Ziva off-duty, he hadn't told her the truth. He could see, that from her point of view, he had pretty much used her. He had to tell her, if she found out from someone else, she would never forgive him. She had a right to know and he wanted to protect her. He ran through the evening in his head and tried to think of an easy way to tell her. Tony heard a soft knock and saw Ziva standing at the door. _Crap._ He smiled at her as she sat beside his bed.

"Tony, I have to tell you something."

"I have to tell you something, too."

Ziva's heart pounded, she was going to do this.

"You first" her voice came out a little shaky but Tony didn't seem to notice.

"No. You go"

Ziva took a deep breath. She suddenly remembered what she had realised in Gibbs' basement. She had to tell him that first, so the 'I love you' went on hold.

"Actually, I have two things."

Tony nodded bracing himself. He had no idea what Ziva needed to tell him.

"I'm sorry you were shot."

"Ziva" Tony reached over with his good arm and took her hand in his.

"No I am. It is my fault. That bullet was meant for me."

Tony looked at Ziva. Now he knew he had to tell her – she was blaming herself and he couldn't let her do that.

"Ziva" he spoke softly. She nodded her head bowed.

"Yesterday"

He ran his thumb over her knuckles. "Yesterday, Gibbs got a phone call. We don't know who it was, we tried to trace it."

Ziva noticed how Tony said 'we', she didn't know anything about this.

"The person said they were after you, that they were going to kill you."

Ziva took a deep breath feeling Tony's hand squeeze hers.

"Gibbs told me to protect you, he was worried"

She stared at the floor at her feet.

"So you were protecting me?" Her voice was shaky and it made his heart melt.

"You thought I needed protecting? I can not look after myself, No?" her voice was becoming more urgent.

She looked up. Tony saw that her eyes were round and glassy.

"In that case, I am very sorry, Tony, that you got shot because of me"

"Ziva"

"No Tony" She stood up.

"You think that you need to protect me, I understand. But you are wrong, I'm not a baby, I don't need looking after." She sounded desperate now.

"Ziva, I was following orders"

"Ha. Like that is an excuse! I can't believe you" She hissed.

"Ziva calm d-"

"Calm down? I thought-"

She stopped, she didn't want to say those words. He had used her, given her a false impression. She felt a tear drip from her nose. Tony put his hand to his forehead, he hated himself right now. He felt like a jerk. He was getting frustrated, he desperately wanted her to understand.

"Ziva! You think I protected you because I was told to!?"

"That is what you said!"

"Screw it!" he said more to himself than Ziva.

"If anything happened to you, I don't know what I'd do!"

She smirked.

"Drown your sorrows on that Chianti you love so much!?"

Chianti. He remembered the night before when they had gone back to his apartment.

------------------------------------------------------------

"_A special wine for a special woman" _

_Ziva smiled, that lovely genuine smile that lit up the room. Tony unscrewed the top and poured some into Ziva's glass._

"_Wow, Tony, not too much!" _

"_You can't appreciate the wine if you only get one sip, Zee-vah" _

_He filled her glass, twisting the bottle to stop the wine from dripping onto the sofa and poured the same amount into his glass. He placed the bottle on the floor._

"_I love this wine." _

_He took a sip. And settled his gaze on Ziva's round, brown eyes._

"_It makes me all warm and fuzzy inside," he said, a playful smile appearing, "I can never get enough."_

_He wasn't really talking about the wine any more. He reached over and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear._

_She took a sip of her wine._

"_Mmm"_

_He took a breath, his hand still lingered on her cheek. She leaned over, moving with his hand and placed a soft but tender kiss on his lips._

------------------------------

He smiled. Unknowingly, she had brought up exactly what he needed to say.

"Ziva, you are the most stubborn and frustrating woman I have ever met."

Ziva was taken aback

"But, I can't get enough of you."

Ziva remembered the night before and what Tony had said about the wine. She realised that he was really talking about her.

"Tony" her voice was almost a whisper – a change from seconds ago.

She reached down and touched his cheek. Her hands were warm against his skin. He placed his hand on hers.

"You are also the most beautiful and amazing woman I have ever met."

She smiled, the smile from the night before. It lit the dull hospital room up. Tony propped himself up against the pillows. Tony pulled Ziva onto the bed next to him and wrapped his arm around her.

He kissed her temple.

"I love you"

-----------------------------

**R&R please. I love getting feedback.**

**xx r**


	9. Chapter 9

**_I do not own NCIS._**

**_sorry this took so long to get up, i've been busy.._**

___________________________________________________________

"Abby what are you doing?"

McGee looked down at Abby who was crouched under her desk.

"Trying to find Gibbs' hidden spying device."

"What?" cocked his head to one side.

Abby stretched her arms out towards McGee signalling for him to pull her up.

"Don't you always wonder how Gibbs knows I've got something as soon as I get it? Sometimes even before I know I've got something?!"

"So, you think, Gibbs has installed a 'secret spying device' into your computer?"

Abby nodded and turned back to face her computer, taking the last long slurp out of her caf-pow.

"Abby, Gibbs hardly even knows how to turn on his phone let alone install a bug into your computer. Did you ever think that maybe he just, knows?"

Abby spun around and placed her hands on McGee's shoulders.

"McGee, don't distract me. I have work to do."

"On the case?"

"Yes...the case. Tony got shot by someone, of whom we have no idea, and I may be the only person, in the, world, that can find them. So, let me get back to work."

McGee raised his eyebrows and held up his hands in surrender.

"Okay Abbs." Abby released McGee and turned back to her computer taking another short slurp of caf pow.

Abby held out her empty caf pow cup.

"Now, make yourself useful."

McGee shook his head, taking the foam cup from her hand. Gibbs appeared at the door and McGee grinned when he saw the caf pow in Gibbs' hand and dumped the other in the bin.

"Now, it's your turn to make yourself useful."

Abby's eyes went wide and she put on a half smile.

"Hi Gibbs"

Gibbs placed the new caf pow on the desk next to the computer.

"So what've you found?"

Abby bit her lip.

"Well, I will have something soon Gibbs."

"How soon Abbs?"

"You tell me"

"Abby!"

A beeping sound started behind Gibbs and Abby shot over to it. Gibbs followed her and stood behind her as she retrieved the blood analysis from the machine. She made her way back to her computer and pulled up the results. Gibbs cleared his throat behind her.

"Give me a minute Gibbs"

McGee could see that Gibbs was getting impatient, and he knew that he would never take anything out on Abby, so he started to quietly back towards the door.

"It's just Tony's blood. It's all norm-, Hold on," She pulled up another screen on her monitor, "This sample of blood has got a foreign substance in it. I'm going to try something. It may take a while"

"Or not, Abs"

"Gibbs, I'll go as fast as I can, but the test is gonna take more than an hour"

Gibbs sighed and walked out of the lab just reaching the elevator as the doors were sliding shut. He jammed his hand between the doors and they bounced back open.

"Oh. Ah, Hi Boss. I was just going to go up and check something."

Gibbs nodded and turned to face the front of the elevator. His cell phone rang in his pocket and he pulled it out not even bothering to check the caller id.

"Agent Gibbs" Gibbs stiffened when he heard the computer generated voice. McGee saw Gibbs straighten up and leaned in to try and hear the voice on the other end of the phone.

"You have two hours"

"Two hours for what, dirt bag?"

The voice laughed on the other end and McGee heard the steely monotone of the computer generated voice. The doors slid open and Gibbs got out signalling for McGee. McGee nodded and ran for his desk.

"Now, now Agent Gibbs, you have two hours to find me before I find her."

"Who?"

'Faster!' Gibbs mouthed pointing at McGee who was furiously typing, his fingers barely even touching the keys.

"Oh, don't play stupid with me Agent Gibbs, you know very well who I am talking about"

"You won't touch her."

"Are you sure?"

"Who are you!" Gibbs yelled into the phone. The agents in the cubicles next to Gibbs looked up from their work. The steely voice chuckled again.

"I've got it boss" McGee whispered. "It's too big a radius though"

Gibbs moved over to McGee's desk.

"Can you keep him on for 30 more seconds?" McGee whispered

"What do I have to do?"

"Nothing, Agent Gibbs. As I said before; you have two hours to find me before I find her, and the clock is ticking"

Gibbs shook his head.

"I'll meet your deadline" Gibbs whispered but the line had already gone dead.

Gibbs looked at the computer, McGee had got the area but it was too big to search and by the time they did, he would be gone. He groaned, they had to find something from nothing in the space of two hours. McGee looked at him.

"What facilities are in the area McGee?"

McGee tapped at his key board.

"Ahhh. An abandoned warehouse partially destroyed in a fire, a couple of antique stores, a supermarket, two apartment buildings. That's about it. Oh and there is a park that is in the area."

"What would he have used to make that voice?"

"Um. Judging by the different tones, responses and pauses it was probably spoken live through a voice device. I'll get it down to Abby to check?"

"What are you waiting for McGee?"  
"I need your cell phone."

Gibbs rolled his eyes and threw it over.

"Oh and when you're done McGee, get Ziva in here ASAP"

With that, Gibbs strode over to the stair case that led to the director's office. McGee ran towards the elevator and pressed the button twice before it opened revealing Abby.

"McGee! Where's Gibbs?"

"Director Vance's office. Abby I need –"

"I got something and Gibbs wasn't there, so I thought there might be something wrong."

McGee sighed and herded Abby back into the elevator.

The elevator doors slid shut.

"Gibbs got a phone call, another one, threatening Ziva. I need you to run Gibbs cell phone to process the voice."

Abby stared at McGee and realised that she didn't know about the phone call from the other day. He bit his lip and then started to fill Abby in on what had happened as they walked into her lab. She took the phone and started to process it while McGee talked. After he had finished there was silence. Then Abby played the voice recording a few times in different pitches. Finally it came out as a normal voice.

"Ta daa! We have our voice"

"Thanks Abby, now we need to find who it belongs to."

He pulled out his cell phone and called Ziva. The phone went straight to voice mail. He realised that her cell phone was actually sitting on the bench in front of him, it must have been turned off. He called the hospital and asked them to put it through to Ziva. After about 10 minutes on the phone talking to various receptionists and nurses he finally got hold of Ziva.

"Ziva"

"Ah McGee"

"We need you here"

"Now?"

"Yeah. Gibbs' orders"

She sighed.

"Say 'hi' to Tony for me" Abby yelled from behind McGee.

"Okay. I'm coming now." Ziva said reluctantly as she hung up.

She leaned over and kissed Tony once on the lips. She pulled away and smiled.

"Abby says 'Hi'" She whispered.

Tony chuckled. "See you later?"

Ziva squeezed his hand.

"Of Course"

Tony watched Ziva leave and then let his head fall back against the pillows. He felt his heart sink. Suddenly he felt tired and was finding it hard to breathe, he let his eyes droop shut and tried to take deep breaths, he guessed he missed her already.

"We need to tell Gibbs."

"Tell him what?"

"That we got a voice."

"Ah. You can do that McGee. I've got something better" Abby smirked at McGee.

"What else have you got!?"

"I can't tell you."

"Abby"

"Gibbs has to be the first to know"

"Fine"

McGee grabbed Abby's hand and dragged her out into the corridor and pressed the elevator button.

"McGee!"

"He needs to know now, Abby. He's not in a very good mood"

The doors opened and they hopped into the lift just as Gibbs pressed the button on the squad room floor. Hopefully Abby had something for him. The door opened and out hopped Abby and McGee.

"Hey Boss"

"Hey Gibbs"

"Abby has something to tell you" He pushed Abby forward. Abby smiled.

"In the sample of Tony's blood, I found a very fine powder. It's a mix of gun powder and very fine concrete dust. I thought it might have been picked up from the other apartment, so I tested the hairs that you picked up and I found the same powder mix and something else."

Abby clapped her hands together and waited for Gibbs to respond.

"What Abs? What did you find?"

"Blood. Well, I found a very small trace of blood. I was able to date it and I'd say about a week."

"Good Job Abs"

Abby held up her hand.

"Not finished. The blood wasn't on the hair when it was left at the apartment, it picked up the blood when it was there. So I bet, if you went back now with the black light, there would be traces of blood on the floor."

Gibbs leaned in and kissed Abby on the cheek.

"Have you run the blood for DNA yet?"

"Not yet Gibbs, I've been running that phone call for you"

"What did you find?"

"McGee"

"Ah yeah. We got the voice. Male, with a slight accent of some sort, hard to tell"

"Good job. Did you call Ziva?"

"Yeah, she's on her way now"

Gibbs walked to his desk pulling up something on his computer. McGee and Abby followed. They stood silently in front of McGee's desk. Gibbs looked up at them.

"You two wanna keep your jobs?"

McGee sprang over to his desk and Abby looked momentarily flustered before heading off towards the elevator.

"I'll let you know if I get anything" she called as she reached the elevator and then added, "or not, 'cause you'll already know"

McGee typed on his keyboard and then stopped.

"Ah, Boss?"

Gibbs nodded in response.

"I'm not really sure what I can do."

Gibbs stopped and looked up at McGee with an eyebrow raised.

"But I'll find something Boss"

Gibbs nodded smiling.

Ziva had barely reached the foyer when an alarm went off. Nurses started running in all directions pushing carts and trolleys. A doctor Ziva recognised rushed past her, smiling painfully at her. She spun around to see the doctor push though the doors that she had just come through.

"_Code Blue. Code Blue."_

Ziva couldn't quite remember what 'Code Blue' was, and she didn't feel like finding out, anyway, Gibbs needed her back at NCIS HQ and she wasn't about to cross him. He was already one agent down and he wasn't happy. She walked quickly towards the parking lot and found Gibbs' car where she'd parked it hours earlier, climbed in and sped off towards NCIS, dodging a couple of slow moving cars at the exit of the car park.

__________________________________________________________

**please tell me what you think! Sorry there was no tiva, i'm saving that for later**

**xxr**


	10. Chapter 10

**Here is the next chapter. Have fun! btw I don't own NCIS or any of the characters.**

____________________________________________________

"How long have we got left?"

"Um," McGee checked his watch. "An hour and a half"

"We haven't got long. Has Abby had anything yet?"

"Uh. No Boss. I don't think so. But I will go down and check."

Gibbs nodded as McGee hurried towards the elevator.

"McGee, didn't I tell you to call Ziva?"

McGee stopped and turned to look at Gibbs.

"I-I did Boss"

"Well then where the hell is she?!"

The lift opened and several people got out, Ziva was the last. She had changed and now had a cream shirt and black pants on, her hair was now straight and pulled back into a pony tail. She had gone home to change and have a shower but it had taken a bit longer than she had thought and when she had left the roads were blocked up with traffic.

"Ziva!" Gibbs shouted across the room.

"Sorry, Gibbs. Traffic." She dumped her backpack on her desk. Gibbs stared blankly.

"What took ya so long?"

"Oh. I dropped past home just to change"

Gibbs nodded and walked towards the elevator. He waved his hand towards his two agents. McGee hurried after him, Ziva close behind. When they reached Abby's lab, Abby stood waiting for them at the door to her lab. She smiled at Gibbs.

"Right on time!"

She led them over to her computer and pointed at the screen.

"Voila! I have your shooter."

Gibbs squinted studying the computer screen in front of him.

"Where Abs?"

Abby pointed to a dark figure on the street on the screen of her computer.

"Him."

Gibbs tilted his head to the right and leaned in closer.

"I can hardly see him"

Abby smiled.

"Well I could enlarge it."

"Abby!"

"Okay Okay, here"

She enlarged the image. It was blurry and the resolution was terrible but everyone could see that

He was male

His hand was bleeding and

He was holding a cell phone

Gibbs pointed at the cell phone, still squinting.

"What's this?"

"That, Gibbs, is his cell phone"

Gibbs scowled and nodded, then turned to McGee.

"Do you think you could run a check and see if there were any calls made or received from that cell phone?"

McGee nodded.

"Then we can check the number against the one that called you, boss."

"You got a call from him?"

Gibbs, McGee and Abby all and turned to look at Ziva. She had been standing behind them, looking at all of Tony's personal effects spread out on the table. She had been so quiet; the other three had forgotten she was there.

"From the guy that shot Tony?"

McGee nodded glancing sideways at Gibbs.

"Why didn't you tell me? I want to catch this bastard as much as you do"

Gibbs took a step forward and placed his hand on Ziva's shoulder.

"Remember what you said earlier?"

Abby and McGee exchanged glances subtly behind Gibbs' back. Ziva flashed back to her realisation in Gibbs' basement. She looked down at the floor and nodded.

"Well, we kinda already thought that that was the case."

Ziva bit her lip feeling her face go hot.

"We got a phone call from the shooter, early yesterday. I had DiNozzo watch over you and –"

Ziva held up her hand and looked up, into Gibbs' concerned gaze.

"I know. Tony told me everything"

She couldn't bear to hear it again. It had already upset her once to think that the team – especially Tony - didn't think she could look after herself. She took a deep breath, trying to think of the positive aspect of it. The team didn't want her to get hurt, they cared about her.

Ziva looked from Gibbs to McGee.

"What did he say on the phone?"

McGee glanced at Abby before he spoke. Ziva saw her nod slightly.

"He's after you, Ziva"

McGee opened his mouth to speak again but Abby spoke this time.

"Don't worry Ziva, we're not going to let anything, happen to you."

Something buzzed in Gibbs pocket. Gibbs turned to McGee before pulling it out.

"McGee, how bout you try and get the phone records." He turned to Abby.

"Thanks Abby"

Then he pulled his phone out and walked out of the lab, Ziva trailing after him.

"Hello?"

"Hello. Is this Leroy Jethro Gibbs?"

"Yes."

"I'm just calling you to let you know about Anthony DiNozzo's status. You are his emergency contact?"  
A puzzled expression came over his face and he looked over to Ziva who was standing in the door to the lab.

"Yes"

"We just wanted to let you know that Tony is doing alright. We had a minor scare about half an hour ago but we've got it under control and he is in a stable condition."

Gibbs took a deep breath, still keeping his gaze on Ziva, trying not to give anything away.

"Good."

"Feel free to come and see him, he will be awake and alert again in less than a couple of hours."

Gibbs nodded although he knew the man on the other end would not know that.

"I will. Thank you"

"My pleasure" The man said and then hung up.

Gibbs slid the phone in his pocket and walked towards the elevator. Ziva followed. She knew that the phone call was important and she wanted to find out what it had been about. Gibbs never gave anything away easily and she was sick of being out of the loop, especially when it concerned her.

She stepped into the lift and stood silently next to Gibbs as the doors closed. The lift sprang into action but was stopped as Ziva flicked the emergency switch.

"So Tony told you everything?"

Ziva nodded.

"What was the phone call about?"

A slight smile crept onto Gibbs' face – he should've known Ziva would ask. He peered up at Ziva and was hit with her serious gaze. He clenched his jaw and looked straight into her eyes.

"Tony"

He looked up at the ceiling and flicked the switch again, and the elevator jumped to life, startling Ziva, although she didn't let it on. Gibbs glanced at her sideways and saw her staring straight ahead, her lips pressed together. Gibbs slid his hands into his pockets as he saw a button light up on the panel. He and Ziva stood in silence, neither of them moved when the doors opened, they stood there and watched them slide shut again.

Abby tapped the elevator button excitedly as she waited what seemed like an extremely long time, but was really only less than a minute, before the elevator doors slid open. Abby jumped in, grabbed Ziva and Gibbs' arms, and dragged them out before they could protest. McGee stood at Abby's computer waiting for them, a goofy grin plastered on his face.

"What happened McGee? You get electrocuted by a tele-tubby or somethin'?"

Abby bit her lip to stop herself from laughing, even Ziva cracked a smile. McGee wiped the grin off his face and looked back at the computer, but everyone could see his face slowly turning a pale shade of scarlet.

"Did you match the cell phone to the area, McGee?"

"Yes, I did. I managed to get the call log of the cell that called you." McGee stayed facing the computer screen and tapped away at the key board. Gibbs cleared his throat.

"Oh. Uh. That cell phone in the picture is definitely the one that called you, Boss. It belongs to a Richard Kehlalhi."

Gibbs patted McGee on the shoulder and turned to leave.

"Good Job McGee."

"But wait there's more!"

Gibbs spun on his heels and headed to where Abby was standing.

"I ran the blood for DNA, nothing came up on AFIS, so, I checked all the other searches I could think of, still nothing. Then I cross checked the hairs and the blood and still didn't get a match."

"And this helps how?"

"Gibbs. Do you think I would tell you all that for nothing?"

"I'm starting to"

Abby smiled and dragged Gibbs over to plasma screen on her wall.

"Look!" She pointed at the screen.

Gibbs squinted, tilting his head to the side a little.

"Do you need your glasses?"

"C'mon Abby, I haven't got all day!"

"Okay. Okay. One of the hairs matched the previous tenant. The others matched a man called Lucas Tope."

Gibbs turned and looked at Abby his eyebrows raised. A picture of a man popped up on the screen and Gibbs turned back to face it.

"This is Lucas Tope."

Gibbs nodded as another picture of a man popped up on the screen. Ziva moved closer to the screen.

"Now, if I just crop it here and enlarge it and… there it is! Recognise him?"

"Is that the man we saw with the cell phone?"

"Ding! Ding! Ding! And Ziva wins! Yes, Lucas Tope is probably the man that called Gibbs."

"but isn't that the cell phone registered to Kehlalhi someone?"

"Yes."

"So could Lucas Tope be his alias, or the other way round?"

"He could be under an alias, but I don't have enough evidence to be able to run it, so at this point, there are two men. Lucas Tope and Richard Kehlalhi."

Gibbs nodded and grabbed his phone as it started ringing.

"Somebody's popular," Abby whispered.

"Agent Gibbs?" A friendly male voice said on the other end the phone, "It's Cal, from downstairs."

"Ahh. Cal, How are you?"

"I'm good. How about you? Still hittin' the gym every week?"

Gibbs laughed, "Yeah. Yeah, as much as I can these days."

"I just wanted to let you know there is a 'Richard Kehlalhi' asking for you down here."

Gibbs face tensed and immediately Ziva was at his side.

"Oh. Okay. Thanks Cal. I'll be down there in a minute."

Gibbs closed his phone and held it in his hand.

"What is it?" Ziva's voice was eerily calm.

"Richard Kehlalhi"

Gibbs had hardly even finished what he was saying before he had reached the door. He heard Ziva behind him and turned, a stern expression painted on his face.

"You are staying." He pointed at Ziva and then at Abby and McGee who hadn't even moved from their positions.

"I've got this one."


	11. Chapter 11

**Hi guys! this is the next chapter. Hope you like. Still don't own any of the characters or NCIS.**

____________________________________________

Gibbs stopped abruptly when he reached the lobby. He stared at the man in front of him, and then looked at the white haired man standing near the bag screener. He strode directly towards him, avoiding the gaze of the other man.

"Cal!"

"Hello Agent Gibbs!" The white haired man took Gibbs' outstretched hand in a firm hand shake.

"This is the man?" Gibbs jilted his head in the direction of the man, who now leaned against one of the chairs.

"Yes. That's him." Cal nodded and glanced over Gibbs' shoulder at the man.

Gibbs nodded in reply and turned to face the man who stood upright when he caught Gibbs' gaze. Gibbs eyed him fiercely. The man was clean shaven, he had custom tailored clothes and looked a bit gaunt, as if he hadn't eaten in a couple of days. The man took a few steps so that he stood just in front of him, then extended his arm.

"Agent Gibbs! How good it is to see you!"

Gibbs stared straight into his eyes, ignoring his extended hand.

"Kort"

Gibbs addressed him sharply without breaking his gaze. The man pulled back his arm and slid his hand into the pocket of his black suit pants.

"Or should I call you Richard Kehlahli?"

Trent Kort smiled, causing the skin to wrinkle around his mouth.

"No, Agent Gibbs. I just knew it would get your attention."

"Well you've got it. What do you want?"

"Lucas Tope. He's being watched by the CIA."

"Being watched? Or under Protection?"

Kort shifted his weight onto one foot and leaned closer to Gibbs.

"Can we go upstairs? Somewhere more private?"

Gibbs looked around and then back at Kort.

"I think it's fine down here."

"Gibbs, I am on your side, I have information on Tope, do you want it or not?"

Gibbs bit his lip hard and then grabbed Kort's shoulder and guided him towards the elevator.

Cal quickly pressed the button for the elevator as he saw Gibbs and Kort approach.

The moment the doors slid closed in front of Gibbs and Kort, Gibbs flicked the emergency switch and turned to Kort.

"Information. Now."

Abby, McGee and Ziva were still reeling from Gibbs' abrupt departure. Abby was the first to speak.

"Did he just say 'Richard Kehlalhi'?

McGee nodded very slowly still watching the door. "I think he did."

McGee turned back to the computer.

"But, Abby, Richard Kehlalhi is making a call right now. In Arlington."

Abby's head whipped around to look at McGee.

"What?"

Ziva joined McGee at the computer.

"He's calling Gibbs!" McGee looked at Ziva and then to Abby.

"You two stay here. I'll warn Gibbs."

She made her way to the door but felt a hand grab her arm and pull her back.

"No Ziva."

She tried to struggle free from Abby's grip but McGee grabbed hold of her as well.

"Gibbs will be okay. It's you we have to protect."

"So you're saying that Tope pretended to be someone else so that he had the protection of the CIA."

"Yes."

"And you only just realised that?"

"About four months ago actually. I had my suspicions before that though." Kort leaned against the wall of the elevator and stroked his chin. Gibbs felt his phone buzz in his pocket, but ignored it.

"So Richard Kehlalhi is his alias?"

"More like 'one of' his aliases, Agent Gibbs"

Gibbs glared at Kort, who pretended not to notice.

"That is the one that he uses the most."

Gibbs shifted his gaze to the elevator doors.

"And he's after Ziva."

Gibbs' airy statement, confused Kort. It didn't really have anything to do with Lucas Tope's aliases, but he knew that this was Gibbs' way of getting to the point. He looked around the elevator – they had been in there for about 20 minutes. He looked at Gibbs. He and Gibbs had been involved in many of the same cases, whether they liked it or not. Kort was fond of Gibbs, in a working type of way. He was a man that was true to his word, he was honest and always knew what to do. If they had met under better circumstances, then maybe they would be friends. It was all because of Jenny Shepard that they had met. She had been so determined to bring La Grenouille down that she had mixed her agents with his associates. Kort was startled out of his thoughts when Gibbs turned to face him – his blue eyes piercing through him.

"Why is he after Ziva?"

Kort considered this and looked at the ceiling.

"He was involved in Hamas, and in the- "

"Another thing you just found out?"

Kort smiled and scratched his neck before continuing.

"He was captured and tortured by Mossad"

Gibbs nodded.

"Ahh."

"One of Ari Haswari's associates, actually"

"And let me guess, he wants revenge for Ari's death?"

"Ah. Now you're thinking along the right lines."

"How do you know this?"

"He told me agent Gibbs"

Gibbs glared at Kort making him feel a little bit uncomfortable.

"You know where he is?"

"Not right now, no."

"But you can contact him?"

Kort hesitated.

"He's not under your protection anymore! He's threatened one of my agents and I sure as hell don't want to lose her! Tell me where he is, dammit!"

Gibbs banged his fist against the elevator wall and turned his back on Kort.

"I don't know where he is, Gibbs."

"Don't give me this b – " Kort glanced at his watch.

"But I know where he will be in 10 minutes"

Gibbs spun around.

"He is or, he will be camped in a building across the road."

The elevator sprung to life with the flick of the switch.

Tony woke once again to an empty room. He had been drifting in and out of sleep for a couple of hours and sometimes he didn't know which was real. He looked out his window, at the grey clouds rolling over, he watched as it started to rain, and the drops spattered onto his window. His shoulder started to ache and he tried to shift himself in to a more comfortable position. He realised that there was a TV mounted on the far wall and looked around for a remote until he spotted it on the arm of the chair next to him. He reached over, trying not to hurt himself too much but his arm didn't quite make it. He inched over a little bit and glanced up as one of the nurses walked in. She was tall and had long chocolate brown hair that was pulled into a loose pony tail. She smiled and reached over and grabbed the remote and passed it to Tony. Tony looked up at her and smiled back as he took the remote.

"Thanks"

"My pleasure. You're Tony DiNozzo, right?"

"Yeah." Tony smiled up at her.

"I'm Annie." Her dark blue eyes glittered as she shook his extended hand.

"Very nice to meet you, Annie."

Suddenly it hit DiNozzo. He realised that normally he would be chatting this girl up, using his injury and situation to his advantage, but he just wasn't interested. This caused a bit of a momentary panic but he knew that it was because he was looking for something different now and he had Ziva.

Annie smiled and twirled her pony tail around her finger.

"Did you want that on?" She pointed at the TV on the opposite wall.

"Ah yeah." Tony pressed the on button himself and switched the channel to the classic movies channel before he set the remote on the bed. As far as he was concerned, Nurse Annie could twirl her hair and bat her eyelids as much as she wanted so long as she didn't disturb him while he watched Gone with the Wind.

Abby paced backwards and forwards behind her desk.

"Why didn't he pick up, McGee?"

"Maybe because he thought it was us?" McGee started to smile but he glanced at Abby and judged by the look on her face, that it wasn't the right time to laugh.

"Abby I'm sure he is fine. He's probably in the elevator." Ziva was perched on the edge of the desk with Tony's personal effects, across from McGee. Abby bit her lip and looked at Ziva, with pleading eyes.

"Do you think so?"

"Yeah Abby, I'm sure he just didn't want to get interrupted." McGee and Ziva said in unison and then smiled.

"Damn Right," Gibbs grumbled as he appeared at the door. There was a blur of black and a jingle of chains and Gibbs was hit by the force of Abby's hug. He steadied himself and pushed Abby, who still clung to him, back towards her computer. McGee stiffened as Kort walked through the door and settled quietly behind Ziva.

"Abby, McGee, you need to watch Kehlalhi's phone and track him as best as you can. Keep us updated."

Gibbs extracted himself from Abby and strode over to Ziva and Kort.

"Ziva, you're with us"

Ziva nodded and looked behind her at Kort.

Gibbs turned to face Abby and McGee. He pointed at them.

"If the Director asks, tell him. Otherwise, keep it quiet."

Gibbs made it to the door with Ziva and Kort a step behind him. McGee quickly pulled up the phone records.

Gibbs, Ziva and Kort were out the front of the NCIS Building in less than two minutes. Kort pointed silently towards a building across the car park. Gibbs nodded and pointed towards the entrance to the base. He looked at Ziva and they both ran towards it, while Kort ran towards the building, his hand on his holster. Gibbs and Ziva crouched behind the small security hut at the entranced.

"Gibbs, what is happening?"

"We're taking this bastard down"

He focused on the building that Kort had just entered, waiting for the signal. Gibbs watched carefully and saw Kort push the door open a fraction and nod.

"On the count of three" He held three fingers up to Ziva. He grabbed his gun out of his holster with his other hand and dropped a finger, so that he only held two up. Ziva pulled her gun out as well and took a deep breath. She closed her eyes preparing for the attack. Her eyes fluttered open as she heard Gibbs whisper.

"One"

He looked into Ziva's eyes and nodded, pointing with two fingers the direction they were about to run. Suddenly Gibbs was up, he was hurtling across the car park towards the building. Ziva sprinted to catch up, cursing under her breath in Hebrew, annoyed that she had lagged behind. They reached the door to the building safely and Ziva went to push the door open but it sprung open before she touched it allowing them to go through. Kort was crouched behind the doors and quickly shut it when the two agents had squeezed inside.

"Status?" Gibbs breathed, watching the elevator doors carefully.

"He's up there" Kort looked up at the ceiling.

"Does he know?"

"I don't think so"

"What are we waiting for?"

Kort smiled and let out a few silent chuckles. Then he nodded, his face went dead serious and he took a few steps towards the emergency stairs doors. Gibbs shuffled over and crouched near the elevator.

"He will know we are taking the stairs, we should get as close as we can before we have to take them"

Kort shrugged and moved so that he was crouched next to Gibbs, he pressed the button. Ziva positioned herself so that she had clear shot of the elevator when it opened. Kort winced when the bell signalling the arrival of the lift sounded. The doors slid open. Four shots rang out around the Navy base.

Abby grabbed McGee's arm.

"McGee!" She looked up at him.

McGee bit his lip and typed something into the computer.

"There's nothing different. Why didn't Gibbs tell someone? The director…"

"McGee we have to see if they're okay!" McGee looked at Abby he could see her eyes starting to well up with tears.

"I, I can't Abby"

Director Vance ran to the building where the gunshots had been fired, his gun at the ready. Behind him, a team of agents secured the area. He rushed to the door and heaved it open.

"Vance"

Vance sighed and looked down at Gibbs who smiled up at him.

"Clear" He yelled to the team outside. Vance looked around, the scene was surprisingly normal except for the man who lay dead, wedged between the elevator doors. He holstered his gun and strode over to Gibbs.

"What happened?"

"He was in the elevator" Gibbs pointed to the dead man.

"David, was there" He pointed to the place where Ziva had been standing, in front of the elevator.

"He got one shot off. Missed. Hit that wall." He pointed to the wall opposite the elevator.

"Ziva fired three rounds into his chest" Gibbs nodded towards the dead man.

"So it was Kehlalhi?"

"Think so. Looks like him" Gibbs stood up and walked towards Kort who stood over the dead man.

"Yes. It is definitely him, Director Vance" Kort looked up.

The director looked around.

"And where is Officer David?"

Both Gibbs and Kort looked over to the emergency stairs door, which burst open.

"Nothing up there Gibbs"

Gibbs looked from Ziva to Vance.

Ziva spun around to see what Gibbs was looking up.

"Director" She looked down at her hands.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes I am fine Director"

Vance nodded.

"Good Job, David"

He turned on his heel and walked out.

"I'll have Ducky, collect the body. You will take the evidence and personal effects to Abby?"

Vance looked over his shoulder at Gibbs who nodded and then he pushed the door open and walked out.


	12. Chapter 12

**I do not own any of NCIS. Sorry it took so long to update - had a lot of other stuff going on.**

____________________________________________________

Tony opened his eyes. He must have fallen asleep in Gone with the Wind. Nurse Annie had gone. Someone cleared their throat and he looked around. He saw Abby, her hands clasped together, McGee was standing next to her a goofy grin plastered on his face. Ducky was sitting on the chair in front of them. He could see Gibbs looming near the door with Director Vance. Even Palmer was there, standing behind Abby.

"Tony! You're awake!"

"Yeah, well, I've been awake for a while. Where have you guys been?" He grinned up at them.

Ducky chuckled.

"Oh Anthony. It's good to see that you're still your old self"

"How are you feeling?"

Tony looked around the room, Abby smiled, knowing who he was looking for. Tony caught Abby's gaze and quickly looked down at his hand.

"Ah, alright. My arm's aching a bit"

Director Vance stepped over to the bed.

"You'll be glad to know that the man that shot you is dead. Ziva and Gibbs took care of him"

Tony felt his heart skip a beat when he heard Ziva's name. He nodded trying to cover up the smile that had crept onto his face. He looked at Gibbs.

"Thanks boss."

As if reading Tony's mind Gibbs smiled and said.

"You can thank Ziva later, she's gone to grab your favourite pizza"

"Oo. Pepperoni? With extra cheese?"

"You bet"

"Oh thanks boss"

"Its Abby and McGee you need to thank"

"Oh. Thanks Abby and McGee"

"Anytime, DiNozzo" With this Tony smiled and looked up.

"Really?"

"Don't push it DiNozzo" Tony winced at the sound of Gibbs' voice but no head slap came. Ziva hurried in through the door, glancing quickly at Tony. She set the box down on the bed beside Tony. Tony nudged her hand quickly as she put it down. He beamed up at her.

"Thanks Ziva"

"My pleasure, Tony" Ziva looked him straight in the eyes and for a moment both of them forgot that everyone else was there.

"For everything, you didn't have to do that"

"I did." Someone cleared their throat and jolted both agents back to reality.

"Let's get started on this pizza!" Tony flipped the box open and grabbed a slice, looking around at everyone. Abby, McGee, Palmer, Ziva and Gibbs reached in and grabbed a piece and started munching away.

"Dish ish weawe goot" Tony said with his mouth full of Pizza that caused the whole team to burst into laughter.

Abby wolfed down her slice of pizza and reached for another one but Tony moved the box. Abby reached again but Tony moved it away again.

"Tony!"

"One piece."

"But there are four more pieces left!"

Tony nodded.

"Five for me. One for each of you"

Ziva's lips turned up in a smile as she watched Tony.

"Tony!" Abby whined. Ziva snuck her hand into the pizza box and swiftly took a piece and handed it to Abby.

Ziva smirked playfully when Tony turned to look at her with a hurt look on his face.

"And I thought you were on my side Miss David"

Gibbs strolled over to the side of the bed and patted DiNozzo on the shoulder.

"Good to see you DiNozzo." He nodded and then turned to leave.

"See you Monday!" he called over his shoulder as he walked out the door.

"At work? Good one Boss." Gibbs ignored him and turned the corner.

"Boss?" Tony looked up at Ziva and then at Ducky, Abby and McGee.

"He was kidding right?" Ducky let out a chuckle.

"Well, I better be going. I promised mother I'd drop in for some tea." He nodded at Tony and then left.

Vance looked at his watch.

"Well I've got to keep going too. Get better soon Agent DiNozzo" He smiled and then strode out the door too.

Abby watched as Tony looked up at Ziva. She knew something had happened before the accident, she just had no idea what. She tried to read their body language but it was the same as always. McGee saw her concentrating on them, her eyes narrowed and nudged her. She looked at him, her eyebrows raised and jerked her head in their direction. McGee frowned and shook his head. Abby smiled and nodded.

"Wow look at the time!" Abby's loud voice broke the silence and made both Tony and Ziva jump.

"We better get going McGee." She made for the door dragging McGee behind her. She turned and glanced at the two agents and spotted Palmer lurking in the corner. She bit her lip guiltily; she had forgotten he was there.

"Come on Jimmy!" Palmer looked startled and crossed the room in three long strides. Abby waited for him to leave followed by McGee, then she smiled and waved to Tony and Ziva and silently closed the door behind her, lingering for a moment until McGee grabbed her arm and pulled her with him.

Tony and Ziva looked at each other for a long time. Then Ziva brushed Tony's hair back from his forehead. Tony closed his eyes for a moment, thinking.

"What was it like?"

Ziva tilted her head and stroked his cheek gently. She pursed her lips together.

"Frightening"

Tony looked up at her and placed his hand on hers which lingered on his cheek.

"I don't know what I'd do without you"

A hint of a smile appeared on Ziva's face and she squeezed his hand.

"I would've gone with you, I would've been there for you, you know that right?"

Ziva nodded.

"I had to do it. It was because of me that this all started."

"Ziva, are you blaming yourself?"

"No, explaining"

"You don't need to explain to me, Ziva"

"Not to you, to myself"

"I just want to know, was it out of revenge or to stop him from killing you?"

"Both"

"Uh ha" Tony nodded and smiled twisting his tongue behind his teeth.

She patted his cheek.

"He is gone Tony, you don't need to worry about him, or anything else."

"What about you?" Tony looked up at Ziva who had redirected her gaze to the window.

"Ziva?"

"Hmm?"

He reached up to tuck a stray strand of wavy hair behind her ear and shifted onto his side, disturbing his other arm. He inhaled quickly.

"Ouch"

Ziva gripped his free arm, steadily.

"Are you okay Tony?"

"Yeah. Just forgot about this" He pointed to his arm in the sling.

He reached up again and successfully tucked the strand of hair behind her ear and placed his hand on her cheek.

"Ziva, are you okay? You know you can tell me anything."

Ziva nodded and looked dead straight into his hazel eyes and placed her hand on his.

"Yes I know. That is why I love you."

-----------------------------------------------------

_In the early hours of the morning, there wasn't much activity. The dim lights reflected off the puddles of water on the footpath. A man was standing beneath a barred window of a run-down dirty apartment block. He stood in the shadows a few feet into an alleyway. He was dressed in a dark trench coat, a shiny silver necklace hung around his neck. A man stopped at the entrance to alleyway. He held a briefcase and was dressed in a brown leather jacket, he wore sunglasses, even though the street was dark. The man stepped looked around the deserted street and stepped into the alleyway and turned to face the other man. _

"_Kehlalhi is dead, Director."_

_The man dressed in the trench coat nodded, but his face remained emotionless, his silvery white hair glinting in the dim street lights._

"_My daughter?" He twirled the silver chain around his finger._

"_She is fine, Sir" The man dressed in the leather jacket shifted onto his other foot._

_A slight hint of a smile appeared on the white haired man's face._

"_Thankyou" The man turned and walked down the alleyway, without looking behind him._

_When the man had disappeared the man wearing the sunglasses, strode back the way he had came, out of the alleyway and across the street. _

THE END

__________________________________________________________________

**So, that's the end. I may write a sequel, if I have the time.. Thanks for reading.**


End file.
